Petition seeks details of persons detained in past three months

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 3

Taking note of the arrests and detentions of scores of political activists across Kashmir, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Wednesday issued notices to the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and other government respondents.

In its orders, the Commission sought a detailed compliance report from these respondents within four weeks.

The directions were issued by SHRC Chairperson Justice (retd) Bilal Nazki in response to a petition seeking dictions to the government authorities to furnish details of the persons arrested/ detained under Public Safety Act (PSA) in the past three months.

“The respondents have arrested/ detained scores of persons in past three months, more particularly after banning certain organisations”, the petition before the SHRC reads.

“Scores of innocent civilians have been booked under the draconian PSA and have been lodged in different jails”, more particularly after banning of Jamaat-e-Islami and the JKLF by the Central government, the petition states.

“The right of speech and expression cannot not be curtailed by a mere excuse that someone is criticising the policy of the government”, the petition argues, while terming the detention of civilians and political activists under PSA as “absolute vengeance” on the part of the respondent authorities.